National Journal WH 08 Rankings: Warner and Clark Move Up; Allen Awaits Webb-Miller Result

1) Wesley Clark has moved up from "the rest" category to #5.  According to the National Journal, Clark has "told people close to him that he+óGé¼Gäóll probably run again."  Apparently not his son, Wes Jr., who said recently that he was pretty sure his father wasn't running.  Still, the Journal enthuses about Clark's "conventional but surprisingly popular" podcast, the fact that his first name is "general," his national security/foreign policy expertise (that dwarfs the other Democratic front runners, frankly), and his work on behalf of numerous Democratic candidates this year, including our own Jim Webb.  Not bad for the guy I helped "draft" in 2003!

2) Mark Warner has edged up half a point, from #2.5 in April to #2 in May.  According to the National Journal, " But Democrats who have spent time with [Warner and Evan Bayh]...give Warner the edge on intangibles."  In addition, "Warner+óGé¼Gäós PAC has the feel of an early Dean camp, complete with funky furniture."  Hey, funky furniture? What more could you ask for in life? :)

3) George Allen stays at #3 in this month's National Journal poll, anxiously awaiting the result of Webb vs. Miller.  According to the National Journal's analysis, if Webb doesn't win the Democratic primary on June 13, "Allen could easily vault back into the second slot."  However, the National Journal wonders whether "doubts about [Allen's] personal maturity [are] starting to creep into the Beltway+óGé¼Gäós perception of him."  Interesting.
4) Two familiar Republican faces - Rudy Giuliani and Newt Gingrich - vault into the Top 5 this month.  Neither has said he will run, but if one does, the National Journal theorizes that he would "vault to the top tier."

5) Hillary Clinton and John McCain remain at #1, respectively, on the Democratic and Republican sides.  Interesting "side note" on McCain: "for every prominent McCain backer you know of, there are two who are privately committed to him."

6) Other interesting candidates include Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney, #2 on the Republican side, and former Sen. John Edwards, #4 on the Democratic side.  Also, Sen. Evan Bayh , #3 on the Democratic side, whose challenge is to "prove to Democratic activists that he is more than a great candidate on paper alone ((or more than a good VP choice)."

Finally, we've got a few key names falling out out of the National Journal "Top 5" list:  Sen. John Kerry (mainly hanging in there on "sheer sticktoitiveness;" Sen. Bill Frist ("some conservative activists like +óGé¼GÇ£ but don+óGé¼Gäót fully trust +óGé¼GÇ£ him"), and Sen. Russ Feingold (" a (potential) favorite of the blogosphere).  Not mentioned in any of this is former President-elect (sort of) Al Gore, whose movie "An Inconvenient Truth" is hitting theaters as we speak.

My personal favorites?  Clark/Warner or Warner/Clark continues to work well for me.  John McCain would be the strongest candidate for the Republicans, but hopefully they won't be smart enough to nominate him.  Mitt Romney's also intriguing on the Republican side, as is Newt Gingrich.  I like John Edwards a lot too, and Evan Bayh's interesting as a possible running mate for someone.  I admire John Kerry, but I think his time is past.  I do NOT believe that Hillary Clinton can be elected President, but freely admit that I could be wrong and that nobody should ever underestimate either Bill OR Hillary.  And Russ Feingold is great, but I just don't see it happening, "netroots" or no "netroots."  And then there's Al Gore hanging out there. If Gore entered the race, that would scramble everything.  But, as of now, Gore sounds like he's not running.  We'll see.

Comments